


Jeno's Twilight

by endzone



Category: NCT (Band), Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Best Friends, How Do I Tag, Light Angst, M/M, Moving On, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:41:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23857765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endzone/pseuds/endzone
Summary: twi·light/ˈtwīˌlīt/noun1.the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere.2.a period or state of obscurity, ambiguity, or gradual decline.
Relationships: Hwang Hyunjin/Kim Seungmin, Hwang Hyunjin/Na Jaemin, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 12





	Jeno's Twilight

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic for this fandom uwu. 
> 
> The summary is somewhat important to this fic hehe i hope you appreciate it.

"Jeno? I think I like someone." Jaemin spoke out of nowhere and let out a breath. 

"Yeah? Who?" Jeno turned to the pink-haired boy. They were leaning on the ledge of the roof top of their building, watching as the sun set on the horizon, painting the sky with colors of fire. 

Jaemin didn't reply instantly. Instead he fell silent and just stared at the horizon for a few moments, breathing in and out, as if contemplating whether he should tell Jeno or not.

"You can tell me, you know. I'm your bestfriend." Jeno smiled and nudged Jaemin playfully with his elbow. "So who is it? Come on, drop the name."

"It's a boy." Jaemin lets out a sigh and his shoulders slump, relieved of the burden. 

"I asked for the name, not the gender." The older boy rolled his eyes and grinned. 

Jaemin looked at him in surprise. "Wait. So you're okay with it?" 

"You're my bestfriend! Do you really think I would love you any less just because you like XY Chromosomes? I am offended, Na Jaemin!" He puts a hand on his chest, feigning hurt. 

That made the pink-haired boy chuckle, and Jeno is glad to have reassured him. "I can't believe you just made a science joke." Jaemin said and rolled his eyes. 

"It made you laugh, didn't it?" The raven-haired boy smiled, turning his eyes into crescents. "Now tell me, who's bthe unlucky guy?"

"Hwang Hyunjin." Jaemin feels his face warm up. This is the first time that he's admitted it out loud. He doesn't like to say things out loud, because if he did, then that means it's real. Now it feels real. He liked this guy he met from another program in their university. It made his heart race just thinking about Hyunjin's smile. 

Now it was Jeno's turn to fall silent. His face now blank and unreadable, which the younger found weird. He was all smiley and radiated sunshine a few seconds ago. Now he's just staring at the horizon where the sun was gradually sinking. 

"Jen? What do you think?" Jaemin asked. He waved a hand in front of Jeno's face and his bestfriend snapped out of his trance. 

"Sorry, I spaced out." He said and laughed it off. "Are you sure you like him?"

"I think so."

"Do you find yourself smiling like an idiot whenever you think about him?"

"Yes."

"Does your heart race when he approaches you?" 

"Yep." 

"Does your skin feel tingly whenever you both touch?"

Jaemin nodded aggressively. 

"Do you get butterflies in your stomach whenever you talk?"

"God, yes." 

Jeno smiled and looked down at his feet. Jaemin couldn't really put a finger on it but something was off with his smile. Like his smile is low on battery when it's usually in max power. "I guess you really do like him." 

"What should I do, Jen?" The younger asked. 

"I think you should do what you want to do, before it's too late. Confess, ask him out, write him a letter. I know it's scary, but you could never gain anything from hiding your feelings." Jaemin looked at Jeno, he was looking at the horizon once again, but this time he looked a million times wiser. Like he was saying all these things based from experience. He kept on looking at his best friend as he continued, "There's only one way to find out if he likes you back right?"

"But what if he doesn't?" Jaemin whispered. 

"Regret comes in the end but it's better to regret the things we've done than to regret the things we haven't. You would regret confessing but you would find yourself braver and wiser than you were before." The pink-haired boy doesn't completely understand but he nods. 

"If he doesn't like you back then he's an idiot for not seeing the beautiful person that you are, Na Jaemin." Jeno looked at him then with a soft smile on his face. The younger returned the smile shyly as Jeno continued, "But if he likes someone else-"

Jeno looks away, eyes back on the horizon. "-you try to move on." Jaemin swears that for a split second, his bestfriend looked sad. But Jeno chuckles and says, "You know what they say; 'If you love someone, set them free.'"

They stand there in silence for a few minutes.  
"Jeno? "

"Hm?"

"You like someone, don't you?" Jaemin asked, voice soft and careful. "Someone who doesn't like you back?"

Jeno doesn't bother to hide his sad smile anymore. It was only a matter of time that his bestfriend realized his truth. "You could say that."

"Can I ask who?" 

Silence. 

"You can tell me, you know. I'm your bestfriend." Jaemin imitated his friend's words.

"I don't think I'm ready to tell yet." Jeno looked down at his feet again. "I'm sorry."

Jaemin doesn't push his buttons. "No, it's okay. I'm just hoping that things will work out for you."

"I doubt it will."

Jaemin put a comforting hand on his friend's back. "Thank you for talking to me anyway. I think I'll take your advice." 

"Goodluck." Jeno looked up and genuinely smiled at his companion. "I hope it goes well."

They both stare at the horizon where the sun had finally set. The sky still in a disarray of colors. "The sky is beautiful at this time isn't it, Nana?"

"Yeah. It's like everything is at peace." Jaemin looks up. 

"Do you know what this is called?" Jeno asks the younger. He takes his silence as a no. "Twilight."

"The soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon." The older explained as both of them enjoyed the twilight.

~•~•~•~

Jeno lies on his bed that night, thinking of his best friend. His bestfriend whom he likes. His bestfriend who doesn't like him back. His bestfriend who likes someone else. 

He thinks back to their conversation on the rooftop. He finds it funny because he was supposed to be talking to Jaemin about Hyunjin, his crush, but he's realizing now that he was talking about his crush on his bestfriend and what he could've done. 

Because it was Jeno that found himself smiling like an idiot whenever he thinks about Jaemin. 

Because it was Jeno's heart that raced when Jaemin approached him.

Because it was Jeno's skin that felt tingly whenever he and Jaemin touched. 

Because it was Jeno who got butterflies in his stomach whenever he and Jaemin talked.

Because Na Jaemin is beautiful, and radiant, and stunning. His smile is powered by a thousand suns. His eyes shine like it contained all the stars in the sky. Jaemin finds a way around their differences. He makes sure that Jeno doesn't feel left out, that Jeno feels comfortable. He's childish and smart, and charming, and kind, and lived life unapologetically. He's a rose among thorns. 

His bestfriend is a good person, he deserves to be happy, and so Jeno said all those things, encouraging him to confess, so that Jaemin wouldn't have to feel the regret that he felt now. 

He regrets something that he hasn't done. He didn't confess his feelings and now it's too late. Na Jaemin likes someone else, so he will try to move on. 

~•~•~•~

"I have to get going, Minnie." 

"I'll walk you to the bus stop." Jaemin and Hyunjin stood up from their seats. 

"Bye, guys. We'll see you around!" The pink-haired boy smiled brightly at his two friends. 

Jeno took off one of his earphones and looked up. "Oh, you're leaving? Take care." He said and smiled softly.

"Bye!" Chenle waved as the two left the café. 

Jeno and Chenle were hanging out at their favorite coffee shop on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It had a shelf full of board games and puzzles that the customers could borrow, so the duo made a bet about who could finish a hundred piece jigsaw puzzle faster. The loser would pay for the coffee and snacks that they ordered. 

Chenle was about 45% done with his puzzle and Jeno barely even finished the corners of his, when the door of the café opened and a familiar voice yelled out their names. 

"Jeno! Chenle! You're here!" Jaemin's voice boomed inside the place.

"We would be kicked out and NOT be here anymore if you kept on screaming like that." Jeno looked up from his puzzle and his heart dropped to his stomach. Hwang Hyunjin stood behind his friend. "Oh. Hello, Hyunjin." His voice softening.

Hyunjin gave him a shy wave. "Hey, Jeno." 

"What are you guys doing?" Jaemin took a seat across from Chenle. Hyunjin took the only available seat left, across from Jeno. 

"We're doing these hundred piece puzzles and whoever loses has to pay." Chenle explained. 

"Exactly. So I need to concentrate now." Jeno plugged on his earphones and blasted his favorite songs. 

-  
Now that the two has left, Chenle lets out a huge sigh. "Are you okay, hyung?"

Jeno has never actually told Chenle about his feelings for his bestfriend but he knows that that's what Chenle meant. That's what he liked about younger boy, he doesn't have to state the obvious around him.

"Yeah." He replied, taking off his other earphone. "What did you guys talk about?" 

"Jaemin hyung introduced us to each other and he's actually really nice and funny." Chenle kept on working on his puzzle. 

"He is, isn't he? We hung out once before at a party." Jeno paused, fiddling with a puzzle piece. 

"They said that they were out on a date when they ran out of things to do, they decided to stroll around and that's when they saw us through the window." Chenle glanced worriedly towards the boy beside him. 

"They look good together." Jeno smiled sadly, staring at the puzzle piece on his hand. 

"Did you seriously just say that?" The younger's eyebrows furrowed. "Hyung, you've been BEST FRIENDS for years! Nobody knows the both of you like you two would. Not only do you look good together, but you are basically two puzzle pieces that FIT together." Chenle took two pieces from his puzzle, put them together; and placed it on the table in front of Jeno, trying to make a point. 

"You're right, Lele. We're puzzle pieces that fit." For a moment, Chenle was relieved that maybe he had put some sense into the older boy's head, but Jeno did something unexpected. He broke apart the two puzzle pieces that Chenle had put in front of him, and pieced one of the pieces with the puzzle piece that Jeno was originally holding. "But the problem is, Lele, that some puzzle pieces fit together even if they're from different puzzles."

"That's me and Jaemin. We fit perfectly with each other, but we never belonged to the same puzzle in the first place." Jeno placed the two puzzle pieces in front of Chenle. The younger stared at the two pieces, perfectly fitting, but have mismatched images. 

The two sit in silence for a few minutes, continuing their puzzles.

"I still don't understand why you don't atleast try to confess to him. Maybe he'll realize that he likes you too." Chenle's voice is low, almost a whisper. "You deserve to be happy too, hyung."

Jeno knew better than to get his hopes up but Jeno's heart melts at his words. "You know what, come here." He grabs the younger and covers him in a tight hug.

"Wha-!" He tries to resist but the older was stronger so he just lets Jeno hold him in his arms. 

"That's why your my favorite dongsaeng." Jeno says amusingly, rubbing his knuckles on Chenle's head.

"You only have two dongsaengs. Me and Jisung, that's not much of a compliment." Chenle pointed out and scoffed. 

"Yeah but you're my favorite. Think about that." Jeno chuckled and pinched the younger's right cheek, causing him to laugh. "I have bad news for you though."

Chenle's face dropped. "What?" 

Jeno pulled away and reached over to Chenle's pile of puzzle pieces and found the one puzzle piece that he left there earlier. He placed the final piece onto his jigsaw puzzle and grinned at Chenle. "You're paying."

Chenle stared at the finished Mona Lisa puzzle, he glared at it, not sure if she was grinning at him. "Wait that's unfair! I had to entertain Jaemin hyung while you were concentrating!" 

"A bet's a bet." Jeno smiled radiantly at his favorite dongsaeng. 

~•~•~•~

Jeno met Jaemin when they were fourteen, highschool freshmen. Jeno was quiet and introverted, Jaemin was energetic and a social butterfly; complete contrasts of each other. Nobody would expect the two to become bestfriends, but they did.

They balanced each other out. Jeno would ground Jaemin whenever he would be too loud or energetic in class, while Jaemin would push Jeno to join activites and clubs that Jeno would eventually come to enjoy and excel at. 

Jaemin used to get into silly arguments with their classmate, Han Jisung. They would argue about stupid stuff like who would win in a fight, Saitama or Goku. They would eventually find a way to get both their moms into the argument and when the argument is heating up, Jeno would pinch Jaemin's collar and pull him back. "Calm down, Na."

Their class would laugh at the sight of Jaemin looking like he was hanged from his uniform, and the heat of the argument dies down. Jaemin would turn to him and say, "I am calm!" in the most uncalm tone he could muster, and they would all laugh again.

Jaemin was the one that convinced Jeno to try out for the volleyball team. Their school required each student to join atleast one club, unfortunately for Jeno. Jaemin didn't even try out himself but promised Jeno that he would watch every game that he plays if he ever gets in. Turns out Jeno was a natural at the sport and he even became one of the aces for their team. This is how they met Renjun and Donghyuck. 

-  
The first time that Jeno had visited Jaemin's house, his jaw dropped. The younger lived in a mansion. When they got settled in Jaemin's bedroom, the younger confessed that his dad was a CEO for a really big company and he's set to inherit all of it someday. Jeno didn't know what to say so he just let his eyes wander around his friend's bedroom, mouth open. "I think your room is bigger than my whole house."

"Stop exaggerating. I've been to your house." Jaemin rolled his eyes and snorted. "Besides, your house is way more fun."

"Why?" 

"You have a family that loves you." Jaemin layed back on his bed and stared at the ceiling. "My parents got a divorce when I was really young and my dad is rarely even home. I've got no siblings, no pets. It's very boring, really."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Jeno looked at the younger. "Hey, you have me now, okay? For as long as I'm alive, Na Jaemin will never be alone."

And he was telling the truth. He never left him alone. When classes end, they would spend the rest of the afternoon doing homework or playing all sorts of games at Jaemin's house, usually with Donghyuck and Renjun. When night falls, they would say goodbye to Jaemin and immediately after arriving at his house, Jeno would pull out his phone and talk to Jaemin about random shit.

During weekends, Donghyuck and Renjun are never available because of god knows what, so it's usually just Jeno and Jaemin. Jeno would sleep over for two nights and would only come home on Sunday evenings. It was all okay for his parents anyway. 

One Friday night, they decided to binge watch a show in Jaemin's living room. Five episodes in, and Jaemin's head is already on Jeno's lap. The older's gentle hand immediately play with his hair. When the fifth episode ends, Jeno looks down to see Jaemin sleeping so soundly on his lap. He examined his face, he let his eyes wander onto Jaemin's lashes. He can't belive that hasn't noticed how long they were before. He let his eyes wander to his nose, tall and slender. He let his eyes wander to his lips, they looked soft and plump. He has never looked at his bestfriend this way before and it is making his stomach churn in a weird way. Jeno couldn't describe the feeling but one thing is for sure that he couldn't resist the urge to lean down and leave a soft kiss on the younger's forehead. 

"Did you just kiss my forehead?" Jaemin asks, eyes still closed. Apparently the other boy wasn't asleep. Jeno's heartbeat quickens and his palms start to sweat. Jaemin smiles, "I'm just resting my eyes, you know. I'm not asleep." 

"I know that you're awake," Jeno lies. "It's just that you look like a cute little baby sleeping right now and I just couldn't resist to do that." He tells the truth.

"Do it again." Jaemin orders, so Jeno does. Throughout the interaction, Jaemin's eyes never opened once and Jeno's eyes never left Jaemin's face once. 

When Jeno left on Sunday afternoon, Jaemin leaned forward towards Jeno. "What?" The older asked. Slightly backing away, suspicous. Jaemin stepped closer, head still leaning forward. He pointed at his forehead. 

Jeno scoffed. "You're ridiculous, Nana." He said, and grabbed the sides of Jaemin's head and leaned in to kiss his forehead. "There. Happy?" 

"Yeah." Jaemin grinned from ear to ear.

"Bye, big baby." Jeno walked away, ignoring the fact that his cheeks are burning. 

The forehead kissing became regular thing for them. For instance when they're in the library, studying with their friends. Jaemin would randomly lean forward and point at his forehead, Jeno will then happily oblige and plant a kiss on his forehead. Sometimes, it would be Jeno that would just randomly plant a kiss on his forehead when he's about to leave for a different class. 

Jeno would be lying if he wasn't weirded out at first. The first few times that it happened was fine with him but when Jaemin initiated these in public, he was nervous that they would get weird looks from other people. But they didn't care, because maybe all they see is a stupid flirty act between two best friends. Which is exactly just that, Jeno reminds himself. When Jeno realized that other people didn't care, he quickly fell into habit. Sometimes, he doesn't even realize that he's doing it, "Bye, Nana." He leans forward and pecks Jaemin on the forehead. "See you later."

-  
On the summer before their junior year starts, Donghyuck invited them to go to an amusement park. The four of them, together with Renjun, spent the whole day going on the different rides, laughing, and screaming their heads off. At one point, when they were sitting on a bench while resting, Jaemin gasped so loudly, jaw dropping as he pointed at a shooting range. "They have a huge Ryan plushie!", he stood up and ran towards the booth. The three was left at the bench chuckling at their friend. 

A few minutes later, Jeno saw his friend walking back, hands empty and mouth forming a frown. Jaemin sulked, saying that it was too hard. The guy at the booth said that he had to hit the bull's eye three times to get the Ryan plushie. Renjun pulled them all up to go to another ride to cheer Jaemin up. Jeno excused himself, saying that he had to go to the bathroom and that they can ride without him. 

Jaemin, Renjun, and Donghyuck got off the ride, laughing their asses off at Donghyuck who wouldn't stop screaming during the ride. When they got to the exit gate, they stopped in their tracks. They were met by a figure that was holding a huge Ryan plushie in its arms, covering the upper part of its body. It wasn't only until a smiling Jeno peeked his head to reveal his face that they realized that it was him. 

"No way!" Jaemin jumped around Jeno, surging with new found energy. "You won it?" 

"Yeah." Jeno smiled again, turning his eyes into crescents. "For you," he held it out for Jamein to take and hesitated, "but I can hold it for now if you want." 

"It's okay, I can hold it." Jaemin took Ryan from his arms and buried his face on the plushie. He looked at Jeno after a second. "But why?"

"I just know that he's your favorite." He reaches forward and ruffles the younger's dark hair. 

Donghyuck's head snapped to the right and he stares at nothing, pretending to be looking at a camera with the most deadset eyes. "Sana all."

Renjun elbows him. "Stop being weird. You're not in The Office." The other boy rubs the spot that Renjun elbowed, clearly in pain. "What does that even mean?" Renjun asked. 

"I don't know my online Filipino friend taught me that. They use it as an expression. It basically means 'hopefully all' or 'hopefully everyone experiences that too'." He points at Jeno and Jaemin. "So yeah. Sana all." They laugh at him. 

-  
Jeno fell for Jaemin on a school night during their senior year. Jeno's dad had recently lost his job and their family was struggling financially for a few months. Jaemin found out because Jeno had been too busy working part-time to join Jaemin in their sleep overs. 

Jaemin had invited himself over to the Lee's house, bringing takeout food from Jeno's favorite local restaurant. They enjoyed the meal in their dining table. After the meal, Jaemin announced that he had something for Jeno's dad. 

"So I have learned recently that you had lost your job, and I wanted to help out." Jaemin said.

"Jaemin," Jeno called out in warning. Jaemin was rich, that's no secret to any of them, and if he was about to give them money, he was never going to accept it. 

"Relax, Nono." Jaemin placed his hand on top of Jeno's, reassuring him. He fished out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Mr. Lee, who examined it. 

"I researched for a job in line with your skills and I found this one, it's fairly near to your home, it pays very well, and I made sure that it's guaranteed to be yours, Mr. Lee." He said with a soft smile on his face. "That is if you accept it."

Jeno's dad stood up from his seat and made his way toward Jaemin. He covered the boy in a hug. "Thank you, Jaemin. So much." 

Jeno didn't know what to make of the scene in front of him. His dad was in tears, hugging his best friend. His best friend who is the most kindest person in the world. His mom was sitting in her seat, wiping a stray tear on her cheek, his older sister looking at Jaemin fondly. 

He felt something warm in his chest, he felt light headed, and emotional. He was hit by a tidal wave of feelings. Jaemin knew that Jeno(and his family) never would've accepted money if he ever offered it. So he went the extra mile and looked for a better solution, a solution that wouldn't bruise Jeno's ego. Jaemin would do anything for Jeno, and Jeno would do anything for the younger too. And that's when it clicked in Jeno's head. Jeno always felt warm around the boy, his lips would feel electric whenever he kissed the younger's forehead, his breath would catch every time he smiled at him. He liked his best friend. 

When Jaemin slept over that night, Jeno made sure to place a kiss on the younger's forehead and said, "You're an angel, Na Jaemin. Sweet dreams."

~•~•~•~

On the night of the Fellowship Night of their third year in college, Jeno and Jaemin found themselves on the rooftop of their building again, tipsy on some cheap alcohol. The party was on the third floor of the building and as the party started to settle down, the two bestfriends decided to go up to their usual spot. Now, they were propped on the ground facing upwards toward the sky. 

"He finally asked me." Jaemin spoke out of nowhere, just like he did a few months ago when he told Jeno about his feelings for Hyunjin. There it is again, the pain in Jeno's chest which has been a familiar feeking lately. His head was spinning but maybe it's just the alcohol in his system. "Hyunjin asked me to be his boyfriend." Jaemin said more clearly after not getting an answer from his friend. 

"What did you say?" Jeno felt a spikes in his chest and tried his best not to sound upset. He braced himself for the worst.

"I said I'll think about it." Jaemin replied casually. That made Jeno sit up and look at the younger weirdly. 

"Why?" Jeno asked in disbelief. He's seen Jaemin with Hyunjin, it hurt to admit but it seemed like Jaemin was the happiest when he's with the other boy. 

"To be honest, Jeno, I feel like you don't like him." Jeno feels like he's in boat filled with holes, sinking fast. Did he know about his feelings? Was he too obvious? "I wouldn't want to date a person that my best friend doesn't approve of."

"Nana,"Jeno could lie then and there. He was always good at lying. Everyone always believed him. But he decided to tell the truth, half of it anyway. "I don't dislike Hyunjin." 

He really didn't. Hyunjin is a nice guy. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he was just as loud, funny, and energetic as Jaemin. Jeno could definitely imagine an alternate universe where Hyunjin was his best friend instead of Jaemin. 

"Then why are you always so quiet and reserved when he's around?" Jaemin asked, direct to the point. 

Jeno sighed. In other circumstances, Jeno wouldn't have answered, but because of the alcohol running in his system, "I'm afraid that you won't have as much time for me anymore. I'm scared that maybe you'll forget about me as your bestfriend." And that wasn't a lie. He was obviously upset that he's inlove with his bestfriend and that Jaemin didn't love him back that way, but Jeno is afraid that his relationship with Hyunjin would somehow break their friendship. 

"Jen," It was Jaemin's turn to sit up and look at the older. "You're my best friend ever. Nothing in this world would change that. Even if I'm steering my life in a completely different direction, I would never leave you behind." Jeno's heart hurts at that and they sit in a comfortable silence for a while. 

"That's good to know." The dark-haired boy breaks the silence. Jaemin rests his head on the older's shoulder, staring at the city lights. "Then I give you my blessing." Jeno ignores the pain in his chest.

"I really wasn't asking for your blessing." Jaemin jokes, and Jeno is thankful because he's pulled out of his self-pity. 

"Fuck you, Nana." They laugh as if it's the funniest joke that was ever made. They take a sip from the red solo cups beside them, filled with cheap gin.

"Thank you, Jen." Jaemin looks at Jeno, and the older could just about see every constellation in his eyes. Na Jaemin is the most beautiful thing that has ever happened or will ever happen to Lee Jeno. Jeno felt as if the whole universe was urging him to kiss the younger on the forehead, so he leans forward and he does. 

"Minnie?" Hyunjin's familiar voice comes from behind them. They both snapped their heads toward him. Hyunjin was staring at them, more at Jeno than Jaemin. He knew that Hyunjin saw what he just did. Jaemin jumps up and wraps his arms around the taller boy. But Jeno is frozen in place and he felt like he was a helpless rabbit caught in a trap. 

"What are you doing here?" Jaemin asks. Hyunjin rolls his eyes playfully and grinned. 

"You told me to come pick you up after midnight remember?" He reminds Jaemin. 

"Oh, right." The pink-haired boy blushes. "Then how did you know I was up here?" 

"Remember my bestfriend, Seungmin? Well he's in your department too and I kinda just asked him to come with me to find you." Hyunjin pointed towards the stairwell, Seungmin peeked out and waved a hi. Jeno knew Seungmin, he didn't know that he was best friends with Hyunjin. 

"Oh, Hi Seungmin!" Jaemin waves back. "So are we ready to leave?" He asks and looks up to Hyunjin with big bright eyes, Jeno would do anything just for Jaemin to look at him that way. 

"Oh, uhm. I need to talk to Jeno about something. Is it okay if you go with Seungmin for a while?" Hyunjin asked with a soft voice, carressing the younger's cheek. Jaemin furrows his eyebrows and pouts, "Okay but no asking for embarrassing photos." 

Hyunjin giggles. "That wasn't what I had in mind but okay." 

Jaemin turns to Jeno. "And you, sir. Don't embarrass me." Jeno holds up his hands in surrender, "Sure. But no promises." 

"I will cut you." Jaemin threatened good-naturedly and they all laughed. Hyunjin takes the younger's hand and guides him to Seungmin. "Off you go. I'll see you in a while."

Jeno sees Jaemin and Seungmin disappear through the door, and a few seconds later, hears his best friend's voice, "Bye, Nono!" 

"Bye, Nana!" He replied, hoping the younger heard.

Hyunjin sits beside Jeno, where Jaemin had originally sat. They sit in silence for a few minutes so Jeno takes a few sips of his drink to relieve his nerves. 

"If this is about the forehead kiss, I just wanna let you know that it's a friendly thing that we do-"

"It's not about that, Jeno." Hyunjin cuts him off. He didn't seem angry or annoyed. He looked nervous, much to Jeno's surprise. Hyunjin speaks up a few seconds later, "I asked Jaemin to be my boyfriend."

"Oh." It's about that, Jeno thought. "I know, he told just before you arrived."

"Will that be okay with you?" Hyunjin mumbled. 

"I'm not his dad, Hyunjin." Jeno scoffed and grinned at the other, trying to mask his true feelings. "Why wouldn't it be okay?"

"You like him." Hyunjin says, more as a statement and not a question, and Jeno's smile fades. There was no point in denying, and maybe the liquid courage helped too, so he nods.

"Jeno, I really like Jaemin." Hyunjin mumbled. "He means so much to me and I just want to make him happy. But I really don't want to take somebody else's happiness either."

"Then make him happy, Hyunjin. All I ever want is for him to be happy." Jeno looked up at the constellations above him. Orion, specifically. It was his favorite constellation, common it may be, but Jeno loved the it because of it's story. Orion fell in love with his best friend, Artemis, and she simply didn't love him back. "I'll be okay. Trust me. If he's happy, then I am too."

"I guess I can say that I've made him happy a lot of times now. But I think it's time for him to experience a different kind of happiness, a kind of happy that can never be given by a friend." Jeno continues, breathing heavily as he tries to suppress the tears that are threatening to fall from his eyes. "So as his best friend, I will support you and Jaemin. Because I trust that you can show him that other kind of happiness. You don't have to worry about me sabotaging your relationship, I would never forgive myself if I ever sabotage Jaemin's happiness."

"Thank you, Jeno." Hyunjin looks at him sincerely. And that's when Jeno let's the tears fall and he lets out a few quiet sobs. It isn't fair when the cause of your pain is a good guy with nothing but good intentions. 

"You have to promise." He holds out his pinky finger towards the other boy. "You have to promise that you will always make him happy."

"I promise." Hyunjin takes his pinky in his own to seal the deal.

Jeno wants to hate Hyunjin. But he can't. Not when all Hyunjin did was give the world to Jaemin, which Jeno thinks is what the the pink-haired boy deserved. 

Jeno hates that he couldn't give it to Jaemin himself. 

~•~•~•~

Jeno sat in the library studying for an upcoming quiz. Not quite studying, more like staring at his notes for the past hour. It was hard to concentrate when Jaemin called him earlier today and told him that he finally said yes to Hyunjin. Jeno would've felt sad and empty but Jaemin sounded so happy, Jeno could practically feel the other boy vibrating through his phone. So he congratulated him told him that he was happy for him, which he was. He couldn't have wanted anything more than the younger boy's happiness. 

But all the emotions are catching up with him now in the library and that's why he can't concentrate. He couldn't stop thinking about Jaemin's bright smile and that he could never be the reason for it. He couldn't stop thinking about how Jaemin looked at Hyunjin like he hung up all the stars in the sky and that he could never look at Jeno the same way. He couldn't stop thinking about all the opportunities that he had where he could've told Jaemin about how he felt. He couldn't stop thinking about how he could pretend that everything was okay around them. 

It was too much. Jeno needed a breath of fresh air, so he packed his stuff into his bag and made a beeline for the exit.

Jeno found himself on the rooftop. His and Jaemin's safe place in the university. It used to be anyway. He looked down at the busy traffic. All the people walking in the street, minding their own business, their own problems. He bets that none of them had ever fallen inlove with their best friends. Lucky them. 

"Jeno." He hears a voice call out from behind him. A small part of him hoped that it was a certain pink-haired boy, but he knew it wasn't. He knew his voice all too well and this wasn't it. He galnces over his shoulder and sees Kim Seungmin, standing uncomfortably a few meters away from him. 

"Oh, hey, Seungmin." Jeno goes back to looking at the street below him, leaning on the railing. The brunnette stands beside him, hands on the railing. "What brings you here?"

"I saw you in the library earlier. You didn't look too well and I was worried." Seungmin said softly. "So I followed you up here...to check on you."

Jeno nodded, jaw clenching. He didn't know that he was being too obvious. 

When he didn't respond, Seungmin began to speak again, "I won't ask you if you're okay, because you're obviously not. And I think I know why you're upset. You like Jaemin don't you?"

Just one question. It took one damn question to break Jeno's walls. It's a simple question but it breaks him, maybe because nobody has ever asked him that before. His eyes start to flood with tears and holding them back makes his throat hurt, but the tears fall anyway. His chest is aching, the pain radiating to his palms and soles of his feet. He covers his mouth to hold back a sob. "I do. I fucking do. I really do, Seungmin. It's like everybody knows except him." At that, Jeno lets out a loud excruciating sob. "God, he's so stupid!"

Seungmin rubs his back attempting to comfort him. It helps a little. "It's just so unfair that he gets to look like that. Like he was sculpted by god himself. Like his eyes reflected all the stars in the universe. Like he knew all the secrets of the world when he smiled. Like his hands were made just to thaw every frozen heart that there is. And it's so unfair that I get to see and experience all that without ever letting him know that he's the most beautiful thing in my life.

"It fucking sucks that he let's me kiss his forehead all the time, and it sucks that he holds my hand whenever I get nervous, and it sucks that he always stares at me for no apparent reason, and it sucks that he always tells me that he loves me, and it fucking sucks to know that he only means it as a friend."

He grips the metal railing, veins starting to show. Seungmin places his hand on top of Jeno's, trying to calm him down. 

"I'm inlove with my bestfriend." Jeno had accepted it for a long time now but this was the first time he admitted it out loud. This wasn't a silly little highschool crush anymore. He's been pining for years now and he is completely, hopelessly, undeniably inlove with Na Jaemin. 

They stand there in silence for a few minutes, drinking in the noise of the traffic below them. Jeno wipes away the tears staining his face and tries to calm his breathing. 

"It does suck," Jeno looked at Seungmin and he was surprised to see that he was crying too. This time it was his turn to hold the younger's hand. "It's like you've always had each other's back, he'd do everything for you, and you'd do everything for him; but one day you just wake up from a dream and realize that it's all platonic and you were just delusional."

Jeno feels stupid, it never occurred to him that Seungmin liked Hyunjin. But it seems like they were in the same unfortunate situation. "I was ready to risk it all, you know. I was gonna tell him." Seungmin continued. "But that party at Ten's house happened and Jaemin caught his eye."

"So I didn't." The brunette was shaking and Jeno rubbed comforting circles on his hand with his thumb. "I guess I was just stupid because for a moment I believed that he liked me too." 

"Hey," He punches Seungmin's shoulder lightly, a grin on his face. "If it makes you feel any better, I was stupid too." And they both laugh at their stupidity. Despite everything heavy that they felt, it felt good to have somebody by thei side that understood their current situation. 

Seungmin wipes his tears and straightens up. "All that there's left to do now is move on." 

"Yeah," Jeno agrees. "They'd never have to know." 

"It won't be easy."

"Oh, for sure, it won't be."

"But we'll try." Seungmin turns towards Jeno and holds out a pinky finger. "Promise me."

"We will." Jeno said, taking Seungmin's pinky in his own. And this gives Jeno hope. That he will get over his feelings for his best friend. That one day he'll look at his friend and not feel pain in his chest. "Thank you, Seungmin. For following me up here."

"You're welcome but say it in a less creepy way." Seungmin replies and their laughter fills the air. 

They stand there for awhile enjoying the sun set. When the sun finally disappears below the horizon, the sky is painted in colors of crimson roses, royal purple, and vibrant orange. 

"It's beautiful isn't it?" Jeno asks Seungmin. 

"Yeah."

"Do you know what this time of day is called?" 

"Twilight." Seungmin replied and it caught Jeno off-guard. Nobody ever knew the answer when he asked, but he nodded. 

"The soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon." He looked at Seungmin and recited the words that he memorized by heart. 

Epilogue

"That all female heroes scene was iconic! I can't believe some people on Twitter felt like it was forced." Jeno pouted. Jaemin had just taken him to the cinema to watch Avengers: Endgame as a treat for his birthday and now they're parking on his driveway. 

"I know right! Some people are so tasteless!" Jaemin replies after sending a text on his phone. Jeno didn't like it when Jaemin texts while driving.

When Jeno reaches the front door, he observed that it was quiet. Too quiet. When he opened the door, it was dark for a split second and then the lights flicker on and the house explodes in greeting. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone, including Jaemin behind him, yelled at the top of their lungs. Everyone was here. His family, Renjun, Hyuck, Jisung, Chenle, and Mark. His Doyoung hyung and his boyfriend, Taeyong hyung. Even Hyunjin and Seungmin. Jeno was happy, seeing his family and friends all in one place, for him. 

After the mandatory Happy Birthday song and blowing of candles, came the mandatory photoshoot for memories. They set up a timer and everybody posed with Jeno in the middle. Then him with his family. Then him with his highschool friends. Then him with his college friends. Then him with Doyoung and Taeyong. 

"Okay! Bestfriend time!" Jaemin grabbed Jeno by the arm and dragged him to the center of the backdrop that they had made. "Jinnie! Take a photo of us, please."

"Yeah, sure!" Hyunjin pointed his camera at them and snapped a photo. 

"So you planned all this for me, huh?" Jeno raised his eyebrow at Jaemin. 

"What?" Jaemin scoffed. "Jeno, please. I've done this for you four years ago, I wouldn't do the same surprise twice. I was just the distraction." Jaemin leaned in to whisper, "Seungminnie, planned it. I was just in on it." 

Then Jaemin nudged him with his elbow and grinned at him teasingly. "Hmmm? When had you two been this close?" Jeno rolled his eyes at the younger. 

It's been four months since Jeno and Seungmin's encounter on the rooftop. The duo had gotten a lot closer since then. Jeno won't admit it but the brunette has easily become one of his favorite people(but Jaemin is still his favorite, though). Jeno just didn't think that Seungmin would care enough to plan a suprise birthday party for him. But he did.

"Will you take a picture of me and Seungmin?" He said already handing his phone to Jaemin. The pink-haired boy smirks at him. Jeno ignores it. 

"Seungmin!" He called out the the boy who was talking with Jisung. When the said boy hears him, he gestures for him to come. "Let's take a picture together."

"Just us two?" Seungmin asks. 

"Well, why not?" He replied and raised an eyebrow. "A little birdie told me that you planned all this, after all." 

"You told him!" Seungmin scolded Jaemin. 

The pink-haired boy raised his hands, innocent. "Just in case you can't tell, I'm not a little bird."

Seungmin scoffs and rolls his eyes. Jeno doesn't miss that his cheeks are tinged with pink. 

"Say cheese!" Jaemin instructs.

Jeno wraps an arm around the brunette's shoulder and smiled. Seungmin holds out a peace sign and they both smile at the camera. 

When Jaemin hands him back his phone, he stares at their picture a little longer than necessary. He looks at Seungmin's smile on the photo, and he looks up to the real Seungmin fondly, now back in conversation with Jisung. He was laughing and they eyes meet for a second. 

He had always loved watching twilights. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to watch the dawn for a change.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanna thank kath for beta reading this for me hehe love u. 
> 
> I started this fic a few days before the announcement of their comeback and i was so surprised when they had a song called puzzle piece SKSKKSKS uhmm because of that one part about the puzzle pieces. 
> 
> I was supposed to post this on Jeno's birthday but i procrastinated too much :( but belated Happy Birthday to best boy JENO! 
> 
> So how was it? I hope it wasn't too boring or too much?
> 
> Did I break your heart? 
> 
> What's your favorite part? 
> 
> HOW DID YOU INTERPRET THE EPILOGUE SKSKSKS I WANNA KNOW
> 
> (also i didn't tag Lee Jeno/Kim Seungmin bc I'm leaving that all up your imagination uwu)


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